Dragon Tales E-News
September 26, 2018
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A Note from Peter
I am thrilled to be preaching on the story of Esther this Sunday. We don’t get much of this Old Testament story in our lectionary, so when it comes up, it’s a treat.
It’s the story of a young woman who speaks truth to power, in spite of the danger it could bring to her. The best line in the story is one we don’t read, when Esther’s uncle pleads with her to take courageous action. He says “Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this?”
For what purpose has God brought you thus far? What are you being called by God to do in times such as these?
Note:
We are continuing to assess our livestreaming capability during our 11:15 a.m. Sunday services. You can check to see if the streaming is working at that time on
our
Facebook public page
.
(If you don't already, please "like" this page that is separate from our closed Facebook members group.)
Call for Military Photos
We will be having a special service at 11:15 a.m. to honor those who are now or who have been in military service on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. We would like to have a slideshow of photos of our parishioners who have served (in uniform) during coffeehour. You can either email a digital photo to
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Stewardship Campaign for 2019
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The Power of Pledging
Thank you to everyone who attended our Stewardship Forum last week! For those who were not able to attend, we have an exciting announcement to share –
the $35,000 matching campaign is back!
As of Sunday, the following pledges will be matched:
- every pledge from someone who’s not pledged before
- any pledge from someone who has taken time off from pledging
- any pledge increase from the previous year’s pledge
The matching campaign this year, sponsored by generous parishioners, totals $35,000. The matching efforts will until October 29
th
, or until funds are exhausted, whichever comes first. For budget planning purposes, please submit your pledge by October 29
th
. And remember, pledging is a spiritual commitment, not a binding contract. Thank you for supporting St. Margaret’s through Stewardship!
If you have any questions, please contact our Stewardship co-chairs Doug Seybert (703-599-8746;
[email protected]
) or Brad Callahan (443-326-3333;
[email protected]
).Thank you for your continued support of St. Margaret’s Church!
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Faith & Fellowship
Monday Activities
Our Faith & Fellowship evenings have begun!
Activities include:
5:00 - Spirit Singers - Choir Room
5:30 - Youth Chorale - Choir Room
5:30 - Acolytes practice - Sanctuary
5:30 - Arts & Crafts - Parish Hall
6:00 - Fellowship Dinner
6:30 - Youth Group
6:45 - Adult Formation
6:45 - Motet Ensemble Rehearsal
Adult Formation Schedule:
October 1:
Parishioner Mike Winn will discuss "The Relationship between St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey, London, England & St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster Parish, Anne Arundel County, Maryland."
October 8:
Presentation of a segment of "Living the Questions" with discussion led by Valery Weekley
October 15:
Parishioner Al Todd will be screening a movie on environmental issues titled "An Inconvenient Sequel" about the continuing battle to promote awareness of climate change, with another film of this type to be shown on Novermber 12.
Nursery care begins at 6 p.m.
Pay for Meals by credit card here!
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Flu Shots Available This Sunday
Staff at the Walgreen's on Taylor Ave. will be in the Fellowship Hall this
Sunday, Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
to make available both flu and pneumonia shots. Please bring your insurance card and your checkbook. And please wear loose clothing on your arms.
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Next Week @ St. Margaret's
Senior Sessions -- Tuesday, Oct. 2
All parishioners 55 and older are welcome to meet with clergy to discuss joys, challenges, and the next Gospel lesson for Sunday.
Women's Guild Meeting -- Wednesday, Oct. 3
Women of the parish are welcome to attend the St. Margaret's Guild monthly meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 3, at noon in the Fellowship Hall. Bring a bagged lunch. Beverages and desserts are provided. A meeting and guest speaker are on the agenda.
Prayer Shawl Ministry -- Saturday, Oct. 6
All are welcome to join this dedicated group who knit prayer shawls to comfort those who are going through difficult physical and emotional circumstances.
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Daughters of the King
The All Saints in Prayer Chapter of the national Daughters of the King organization welcomes all women from Episcopal churches in the greater Annapolis area. Our current members worship at St. Philip’s, St. Margaret’s, St. Luke’s, St James, and St. Anne’s.
An informational meeting about DOK will be held at St. Margaret’s Church, October 2 at 6:30 p.m.
There are over 22,000 "Daughters" in the U.S. and around the world. The Order is a caring community of women who support each other in our faith journey, and who work to strengthen our parishes. There
is a 12 session discernment class for women who are interested in learning about the Order and then allow time for reflection. Following the discernment class, those who desire to become members participate in a service to make their vow and become part of the Order. The vow is a restatement of our baptismal and confirmation promises.
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Blessing of the Animals
Thursday, Oct. 4
6 p.m.
October 4 is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, a monk known for his vow of poverty and his special connection to animals. Our clergy will be blessing the beloved pets of our parishioners on campus that evening. All are welcome to bring their pets to church, on leash or contained, or just bring photographs. We've seen everything -- dogs, cats, rabbits, lizards, turtles, horses, etc. so bring them all!
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History Celebrated 10/7
Our historical offering for this month focuses upon the altar cross in the chancel of St. Margaret’s Church. This 1888 memorial gift survived the 1892 fire and has remained for all to clearly see year after year for 130 years.
Join us for
A Tour of Our Home—326 Years on the Broadneck Peninsula
, Sunday, October 7, at 10:20 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the formation building. Bring your coffee or tea along to view the virtual tour of the sights of our area with narration by the members of the History & Archives Project. Receive your copy of the photos, maps and directions for you to do your own driving tour at another time.
Then join us following the 11:15 service (approximately 12:30) on the same day for a historical tour of the church and grounds followed by Colonial refreshments in the parish hall before we drive down Pleasant Plains Road to Hollywood Farm for description of archaeological work of the first settlement of Providence that has been done in the area by county archaeologists. We will have an opportunity to see this 125 acre working farm where Katadhin sheep are raised, a small flock of chickens, many border collies, and a few barn cats.
Check their website at
hollywoodfarm.com
. There are community gardens and a flower garden on the farm. Tour is open to all ages. If you plan to join the farm tour, please email Barbara Breeden at
[email protected]
by Friday, October 5
so that we have a headcount for the owners.
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Sign up Now!
Seniors Trip on Oct. 21
Our "55 and Better" parishioners are invited to an exciting
visit to the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Lands on Sunday, October 21st.
The monastery is in Washington, near Catholic University.
After the 11:15 service, participants will eat lunch and watch a video in the Fellowship Hall before boarding a bus for a 3 p.m. tour of the monastery.
The tour lasts about an hour. It is a fascinating and beautiful place. More information can be found on their website at
www.myfranciscan.org
.
NOTE: There will be a fair amount of walking, and while the church and most of the grounds are handicap-accessible, the tour includes the grottoes and some of the shrines, which are not. There are steps involved.
Reserve your seat on the bus
for $35
by check to "St. Margaret's Church" with "Holyland Trip" in the memo line. Put in the offertory plate on Sunday or get it to the church office.
DEADLINE is Oct. 15.
Sign up and pay for the trip at our registration table THIS SUNDAY during coffeehour.
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Industrial Areas Foundation Launches Interfaith Program on Oct. 4
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The Anne Arundel County IAF is a strictly non-partisan “organization of organizations” made up of 19 member and friend organizations working together to build community power so that people’s voices are represented, and solutions presented, at the places where decisions are made. The group does not endorse candidates or work with or for any political parties. Over the past three months, members have heard the stories of over 2,100 people from communities across Anne Arundel County.
St. Margaret's Church is one of the faith communities participating in this organization effort. If you would like to be a part of this process, please contact St. Margaret's representative Dalyn Huntley at
908-256-1184 or
[email protected].
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Parents' Workshop
Screen Sense on Oct. 10
St. Margaret's Church and St. Margaret's Day School are sponsoring a free workshop for parents on how to make good choices about children’s use of technology in the early years. The program will be held on
Wed., Oct. 10, in the Fellowship Hall at 6:30 p.m. Childcare will be provided. Please RSVP for childcare to [email protected]. The program is free for admission, and all are welcome!
Presenter is Claire Lerner, LCSW-C, a licensed clinical social worker and child development specialist. She is a source on early childhood development for NPR and numerous national daily newspapers such as
The New York Times
,
Wall Street Journal
and
USA Today
.
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Latest Youth News @ St. Margaret's
As a congregation, we are blessed with a wonderful problem. We have youth that are asking for MORE church, MORE youth group, MORE chances to become involved. Do you realize how blessed we are to have this problem? Job well done, parents! You got them here, and now they WANT to be here. The challenge is now to KEEP them here.
Important Details
*For safety standards, we need chaperones for
-Each Monday night for Faith & Fellowship Youth Group meetings;
-Sunday afternoon Youth Group sessions throughout the year;
-Diocesan trips and events throughout the year.
*SMC Youth will be participating in an ecumenical service project where youth of several Broadneck Peninsula churches visit different places of worship in the fall. After visiting other churches, the effort will end with a Saturday mass at St. Andrew by the Bay, followed by a potluck and a discussion of the differences and similarities observed.
*A Summer mission trip has been planned for Puerto Rico to assist with hurricane relief efforts.
*SMC youth will be helping with the Children's Epiphany Pageant in January as well as a youth-led worship service on May 12.
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Fighting Invasive Plants
Japanese honeysuckle, Oriental bittersweet, multiflora rose, stilt grass, and the list goes on. The trees in our neglected forest behind the playground have been losing their fight against this onslaught of invasive plants. St. Margaret's Buildings and Grounds Committee has been working with Sustainable Resources. Inc. to try to reclaim this area and bring it back to health. The job has been enormous! Under that expanding canopy of exotic vines, we have found many dead and dying trees but also some signs of life that just need a chance to survive and thrive. You can see the progress that has been made but also the debris that the clearing has exposed.
In the coming weeks, a crew will be finishing much of the vine clearing and beginning to remove a great deal of the debris including mounds of dirt that were dumped for many years after burial plot diggings in the cemetery. A healthy forest will not happen overnight, but we have begun the process.
On Blue Jean Sunday - Oct. 28 - we will be continuing the cleanup.
See you then!
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Gratitude is Not Enough --
Third Sunday Band News
The Third Sunday Band wants to sincerely thank all our friends from St Margaret's Church who so generously donated to our Go Fund Me project to help record and publish our new CD Release for Christmas - Peace. We exceeded our goal and have raised enough funds to complete the process. The year long process to create of this music through practice and recording and mixing has been a rewarding one and brought us all together. Thanks again to our whole family at St Margaret's for supporting us. We have felt the love and are grateful! Stay tuned for more details on CD Release in the coming month.
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A REMINDER FOR OUR WORSHIP VOLUNTEERS
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By now, all who serve on Sundays (except acolytes) should have received by email information on St. Margaret's new scheduling system. The system is an easy way to check the current schedule, find a substitute or swap weeks with another volunteer.
Please remember to check it regularly!
FOR ACOLYTES --
Julie Svendsen has graciously accepted the challenge of scheduling acolytes on Sundays. If you have any questions, please contact her at
[email protected]
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Deadline for Dragon Tales - Monday afternoon
Deadline for Sunday Announcements - Wednesday morning
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Coming Up at St. Margaret's
October 14 - Domestic Violence Awareness Sunday
October 21 - Missions Fair - 10:15 to 11 a.m.
October 26 - Youth Lock-in - 6 p.m.
October 27 - Third Sunday Band Coffeehouse - 7 p.m.
October 28 - Blue Jean Sunday - after 9 a.m. service
October 28 - Newcomers' Dinner - 5 p.m.
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